Means automatically maintaining a taut tent roof



K. H. BURGIN June 27, 1967 MEANS AUTOMATICALLY MAINTAINING A TAU'I TENT ROOF 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 28, 1966 N RI 6 mR m U B mH T M R E K Fig. 2

ATTORNEY MEANS AUTOMATICALLY MAINTAINING A TAUT TENT ROOF Filed March 28, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

KERMIT H. BURG/N BY W4 Lei ATTORNEY June 27, 1967 A K. H. BURGIN 3,327,723

MEANS AUTOMATICALLY MAINTAINING A TAUT TENT ROOF Filed March 28, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 55 32 3| \\\UA\\EIJ/:\Y/I o Mama .7 v ...M. fi

INVENTOR. KERM/ T H. BURG/N Maw ATTORNEY United States Patent.

3,327,723 MEANS AUTOMATICALLY MAENTAINING A TAUT TENT ROOF Kermit H. Burgin, RR. 2, Whitestown, Ind. 4607 Filed Mar. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 544,341 6 Claims. (Cl. 135-1) This invention is directed to an improved structure of a tent, which structure embodies a roof with a central peak and from which roof hang side walls merging together at vertical corners. There are no ropes, cables or rods extending across the tops of the walls at the junctures of the roof therewith or between supporting poles. There is a supporting pole outside of the walls and at each vertical corner. Each pole carries self bracing means and preferably leans from the vertical inwardly by its top within a plane including the pole axis and the tent wall corner.

Furthermore, the roof is so supported that it will automatically be maintained in a taut condition by variation in travel of the upper ends of the poles. The roof, particularly when made of cotton ducking will sag when dry as during sunshine and will tighten up to shrink in area when wetted as during a period of rain. No pole ropes or cables are employed requiring adjustments to compensate for this change in area as the upper pole ends shift.

The details of one particular form of the invention as new best known to me will become apparent in the following description as illustrated in a rectangular floor plan, in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a top plan view;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view with the roof partly broken away to disclose supporting means;

FIG. 3 is a view in vertical section on the line 3-3, and on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a detail of a top corner construction in section and on a still further enlarged scale;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation in partial section of a roof support rib;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a corner pole in partial section;

FIG. 7 is a transverse view in section on an enlarged scale on the line 7--7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a pole collar carrying brace legs;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the pole collar;

FIG. 10 is a detail in top plan of a roof corner and attached tab; and

FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view on an enlarged scale of the roof peak inner cone with ribs attached.

The tent floor plan may assume a range of polygonal shapes. It is herein shown and described in a rectangular shape so that the description may be simplified. The roof, generally designated by the numeral 15, is made to assume a pyramidal shape normally. There are four triangular sections 16, 17, 18 and 19 fixed together along their sides and which, by their apices meet in a central, upper zone 20. In the form herein shown, the tent has a longer length than width merely to illustrate one proportion of dimension.

The roof sections 16, 17, 18 and 19 are united by their base lines with the upper edges 21 of the four walls which may be made in one continuous length 21a or in individual walls joined at the corners. The material of the roof and also of the wall may be a fabric or an elastomer.

3,327,723 Patented June 27, 1967 "ice A roof peak cone 22 is positioned under and against the roof 15 centrally of the Zone 20. A pin 23 extends vertically from the apex of the cone 22 through the zone 20 to be exposed above the roof 15 a distance as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The underside of the cone 22 has four pairs of downwardly extending Wings 24 and 25, FIG. 11. These wings 24, 25 are approximately parallel one with the other in each pair. Each wing pair is directed toward a corner 21b of the tent at the lower roofwall line 21. The wings 24, 25 in each pair are spaced a distance apart to receive therebetween an upper end portion 26 of a roof rib 27, herein shown in the one form as being tubular. Each rib 27 is pivotally held by its end portion 26 by a pin 28 extending through the rib end 26 and both wings 24 and 25, FIG. 11. This pin 28 is located to permit the rib 27 to rock downwardly but restricts upward rocking by reason of the rib 27 striking the cone 22 at its outer edge 29 which appears between the wings 24, 25 in each instance.

The rib 27 has a shoulder or collar 30 therearound at its end farthest removed from cone 22, defining a fixed, unchanging length between the cone 22 and the collar 30. This length is best indicated in FIG. 5 as that rib length between its pivot pin 28, hole 31 and the collar 30. An extensible rod 32 slidably fits in the collar end of the rib. An operating cross-pin 33 is fixed to the rod 32 within the rib 27 and extends laterally from the rib 27 through a slot 34 extending longitudinally of the rib 27. A compression spring 35 is carried within the rib 27 between the rod 32 and a cross-pin 36 as means for yieldingly holding the rod 32 in its extended position as limited by the operating pin 33 striking the rib end collar 30.

Four supporting poles 37, one for each tent corner, are each preferably a two part pole having a lower tubular portion 38 and an upper tube or rod 39 freely telescoping within the portion 38, FIG. 6. A short length of a cylinder 48 is eccentrically fixed to the rod 39 at its lower end to be freely rotatable within the portion 38. By rotating the rod 39 in respect to the tube 38, the cylinder '40 will lock the rod 39 by pressing it laterally against the inner wall of the portion 38 and thereby retain the rod 39 against longitudinal movement in the portion 38. This adjustable mechanism is commercially obtainable and does not per se enter into the invention. Its sole purpose is to permit use of a pole longitudinally adjustable to have and maintain a desired overall length. The upper end of the rod carries a fixed, longitudinally extending pin 41. A shoulder 42 extends around the pin 41 at its juncture with the rod 39. Also, a pin 43 is fixed in the lower end of the pole portion 38.

A collar 44 is carried to be slidably adjustable along each of the post portions 38. A pair of legs 45 and 46 are rockably secured by upper ends to a collar 44 in each instance, preferably hinged to the collars to spread out to at least into a dihedral angle of forty-five degrees between planes of rotation of the legs about the collar 44. Preferably, each leg 45 and 46 is provided at its free end with an extending pin 47.

A tab 48, FIG. 10, flexible in nature, is secured to each corner of the roof 15. The tab 48 extends beyond the roof 15 by a portion through which there is a hole 49 of suflicient diameter to receive therethrough a pin 41 of a pole 37.

To erect the tent, the roof and wall are laid out on the ground. At slightly distant from each corner of the tent there is positioned a pole 37 by anchoring the bottom pin 43 in the ground, following which the two legs 45, 46 are positioned by locating the collar 44 on the pole 37 and then securing it by any suitable means such as by a thumb screw 50 being screw-threadedly carried through the collar 44 into abutment with the pole portion 38. The position of the collar 44 is selected to permit the pole 37 to be leaned toward the tent top wall corner and to urge the leg pins 47 into the ground at spread apart locations to support the pole 37. The lengths of the legs 45, 46 are made to be such that they will amply support the poles 37 as indicated.

The assembly of the cone 22 and the roof ribs 27 is carried through an opening 51' in the tent wall and the cone pin 23 inserted through the opening 51 in the root zone 20, and one by one the roof ribs 27 are rocked upwardly. The rods 32 are retracted by the pins 33 to permit threading of those rods 32 through openings 53, one at each corner adjacent the junction of the roof 15 and the wall 21a at a corner 21b, by releasing the pin 32. As the rod 32 is allowed to extend through the wall hole 53, it is guided through the tab hole 54 to extend therebeyond, FIG. 4. The rib collar 27 bears against the inside face of the wall 21a.

The rib 27 in each instance has a hole 55 therethrough, the wall of which is inclined toward the tent corner, FIG. 4. The rib 27 is lowered over the pole to have the pole pin 41 enter through the tab hole 49 and the rib hole 55 to have the pin 41 extend well above the rib portion 32. The pole braces 45, 46 may need readjusting to bring the poles 37 to their proper angles to bring the tent roof 15 into its taut condition with the cone 22 at its uppermost position as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The tent is taken down in reverse steps, it being noted that the pole braces 44, 46 of each pair will swing up or down along the dash line, FIG. 9, to come into parallelism with the pole 37 for storage or transportation purposes.

While I have shown and described my invention in the one precise form, it is obvious that structural changes may be made therefrom while remaining within the scope of the invention and the limitations which may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A tent structure comprising a wall of flexible material having a plurality of -apprximately vertical corners;

a post at each of said corners located outside of the wall and normally inclined by its top end toward said corner;

a pair of legs rockably carried by a collar in turn longitudinally shiftably carried by and selectively positioned along each post and normally supporting the post in its inclined position;

a roof of flexible material of greater area than that of the space within said wall, the periphery of the roof being secured to the periphery of said wall;

a roof cone having a topside pin extending through a zone in the roof;

a plurality of cone supporting ribs, one rib for each of the number of said wall corners;

said cone having on its underside a plurality of pairs of downwardly extending wings each spaced apart to receive rock-ably therebetween an upper end portion of one of said ribs,

means rockably securing the ribs each by its upper end comprising a pine extending through said wings and said ribs to have said Wings extend downwardly, one on each side of the rib portion;

a tab fixed to said roof and extending outwardly from said wall at each of the wall corners and having a pair of spaced first and second holes therethrough;

said rib in each instance having a fixed length between said pin and an outer end portion, said outer end portion comprising an inside Wall abutment;

an outwardly, spring urged retracti'ble member of less diameter than that of the abutment and telescoping by a portion at least within each rib outer end and said member having a hole therethrough adjacent its outer end;

said wall having a hole therethrough at each of its corners and at the tops thereof;

each of said ribs having its said outer member initially retracted and entered through one of said wall holes and through said member first tab hole to extend onto the top side of said tab;

said rib in each instance abutting the inside surface of the wall by said abutment about said wall hole and thereby urging said cone upwardly against said roof zone, above said poles and normally maintaining the roof in taut condition; and

each of said poles having a top member extending through each of said tab second holes, and said extensible member hole.

2. The structure of claim 1, in which said root material tends to shrink when wetted and to expand when dry; and there is a peripheral portion of said cone extending across the upper portions of said wings normally coming into contact with top sides of said ribs and limiting lowering of the cone to a predetermined distance above the horizontal plane including the wall abutting rib members upon root stretching when wetted, said cone being elevated upon drying of the roof shrinking, thereby automatically maintaining the roof in taut condition through wet and dry cycles.

3. The structure of claim 2, in which the sole interconnections of the wall and the roof peripheries between rib abutments with the Wall resides in the roof and wall materials; and

said cone wings, one on each side of the rib confine rib swinging to substantially right angles each to its hinge pin.

4. A tent roof support comprising a peaked, flexible roof subject to variation in area and having corners and a central zone;

a tab fixed to the roof and overhanging therefrom at each of said corners;

said tab having a first hole therethrough adjacent said roof and a second hole therethrough between the first hole and the outer free end of said tab;

a cone under said roof at said peak thereof;

a pin extending from the apex of said peak through said roof peak projecting thereabove;

a supporting post at each of said corners, each post being inclined outwardly and downwardly from a roof tab;

a rib rock-ably secured to said cone by one end portion and extending by a freeend portion to each of said corners;

means interengaging said rib free end portion with said roof corner;

said means extending from said corner engagement through said tab first hole and therebeyond over the tab;

said means having a hole therethrou-gh aligning with said tab second hole;

each of said poles having an abutment near its upper end with a pole portion extending upwardly therefrom; and

said upwardly extending pole portion extending through said tab second hole with the marginal area about that hole resting on the pole abutment, and extending through said ri'b free end hole and thereabove.

5. The structure of claim 4, in which there is a pair of legs hingedly carried by each of said poles and upon which, the pole leans.

- 6. The structure of claim 5, in which there are pairs of wings carried by said cone, one pair for each of said ribs; said rib one end extends between the wings of a pair 5 6 from its rockable securement with said cone and References Cited confines the rib to vertical travel; and a stop carried by said cone limiting upwardly swinging UNITED STATES PATENTS of the ribs; and 1,190,999 7/1916 Harris 135-3 said upward swing limit of the ribs relative to said 5 2,928,403 3/1960 Hoskins 135-3 cone limiting down travel of the cone under expan- 3,119,402 1/1964 Bleick 135-1 sion of the roof material to that degree permitting the cone to rise upon shrinkage of the material. REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TENT STRUCTURE COMPRISING A WALL OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING A PLURALITY OF APPROXIMATELY VERTICAL CORNERS; A POST AT EACH OF SAID CORNERS LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE WALL AND NORMALLY INCLINED BY ITS TOP END TOWARD SAID CORNER; A PAIR OF LEGS ROCKABLY CARRIED BY A COLLAR IN TURN LONGITUDINALLY SHIFTABLY CARRIED BY AND SELECTIVELY POSITIONED ALONG EACH POST AND NORMALLY SUPPORTING THE POST IN ITS INCLINED POSITION; A ROOF OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL OF GREATER AREA THAN THAT OF THE SPACE WITHIN SAID WALL, THE PERIPHERY OF THE ROOF BEING SECURED TO THE PERIPHERY OF SAID WALL; A ROOF CONE HAVING A TOPSIDE PIN EXTENDING THROUGH A ZONE IN THE ROOF; A PLURALITY OF CONE SUPPORTING RIBS, ONE RIB FOR EACH OF THE NUMBER OF SAID WALL CORNERS; SAID CONE HAVING ON ITS UNDERSIDE A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING WINGS EACH SPACED APART TO RECEIVE ROCKABLY THEREBETWEEN AN UPPER END PORTION OF ONE OF SAID RIBS, MEANS ROCKABLY SECURING THE RIBS EACH BY ITS UPPER END COMPRISING A PINE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID WINGS AND SAID RIBS TO HAVE SAID WINGS EXTEND DOWNWARDLY, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE RIB PORTION; A TAB FIXED TO SAID ROOF AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID WALL AT EACH OF THE WALL CORNERS AND HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED FIRST AND SECOND HOLES THERETHROUGH; 